An exhilarating Indian Super League season will crown its champion as ATK Mohun Bagan take on Bengaluru FC for the silverware at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Saturday.
A win for the Mariners can hand them their maiden ISL title, while the Blues could lift their second one, having last done so in the 2018-19 season. Atletico Kolkata (ATK) before Mohun Bagan was bought over, had won ISL titles.
ATKMB have been unbeaten in five games leading up to the final, where they have only conceded once in those five games while keeping four clean sheets. The club's defensive prowess has been evident since the league phase, where they conceded just 17 goals all season, making them statistically the second-best defensive team in the league after Hyderabad FC.
A solid defensive backline with Pritam Kotal and Brendan Hamill enabled the Mariners to achieve this feat.
However, in the last four games, Slavko Damjanovic has replaced Hamill at the heart of defence as ATK Mohun Bagan have kept clean sheets in all those games. Asish Rai has been a threat down the right flank.
In attack, the only player that head coach Juan Ferrando could be without is Ashique Kuruniyan.
Despite beating League Shield winners Mumbai City FC on penalties in the semi-final, Bengaluru FC suffered their first regulation-time defeat of the year in the second leg. The Blues were on a 10-game winning run before the Islanders restored parity and eventually lost on penalties.
Head coach Simon Grayson has used Sunil Chhetri as an impact substitute and in the last five games, the 38-year-old Indian skipper has come on to score vital goals on three occasions.
